I regretted my procrastination with the inventory, and more still I cursed Vesija's habit of buying in haphazard bulk at clearance prices. My condition made it cumbersome to crouch and shift through the unlabelled boxes, even if their contents weren't a mess themselves. The ambulatory difficulties explained why I had never seen a woman as gravid as myself.

The tendrils at the front door honked to herald an entrance, even though it was practically the closing time of our little reception apothecary. My fault for not locking the door because I had expected Vesija to return shortly. Or more accurately I had wanted him to come back early, even though he had warned me that the house call might take long enough for him to stay the night at the patient's orchard.

My lower back burned, when I wrenched myself upright. This too would soon pass, I told myself, even though I well knew it was unlikely either us could settle for only one child. Vesija hadn't spent three quarters of his savings on such a large house to merely suit a compact family of three.

"Just a moment!" I called as chirpily as the aching allowed. My correspondence classes in pharmacy hadn't turned me into a medical practitioner, but I could handle the prescriptions left by Vesija and offer the reassurance that the physician would help the client as soon as he returned.

I doddered to the shop and stopped to stare at the man waiting at the counter. For a moment I feared the shock would launch my labour several weeks early. Thick dust had ruined the sheen of the courier's light combat suit, and weariness had muted the military sternness of his young face. Only the proud steel rank pins of the Hunters Regiment defied the entropy of the road.

"Mrs. Ekku Nerutaara?" He checked the tiny message cylinder in his hand. "Or is it Aamkena née Ekku?"

In order to fade among the refugees, I had preferred to use my husband's name. It had been foolish to think such a surface trick would dissolve all of Ekku Luttami's reputation. My hand reached for a holster at my hip, and found only a rag I had used to clean the shelves. I took it and wiped my hands, as I approached the counter.

"Yes, I'm Neru."

The courier's stiff posture relaxed in tiniest bit of relief. "Oh, good. You aren't easy to find." He sighed. "Could you extend your hand, please?"

I allowed the courier to stab the cylinder into the back of my hand. While I rubbed the tiny wound, the message unfurled open.

"There you go", he said and offered me the letter. "Do inform the postal authorities about your current residence for ease of delivery next time. So long."

The moment I sat to read the letter, I recognised the dainty penmanship. The chair creaked in rhythm of my back, and I hurried to lock the front door.

The huge hand, descending on my shoulder, startled me. Vesija stared at my undoubtedly befuddled countenance with puzzlement of his own.

"Oh. Hi", I squeaked. "I didn't hear you to come in."

"I assumed you would have gone to sleep already, so I tried to be quiet." He rubbed my shoulder and grinned. "What has kept you up? Have you been waiting for me?"

"No, not entirely." I handed him the unfurled message. "This came in today."

The man took a seat next to me. I closed my eyes; I didn't need to see the letter to remember every detail of it.

'Dearest Daughter ––' The stylus had been pressed deep into the membrane to emphasise the word. '––, in light of the recent events, we are at liberty to ignore the Filial Discourtesy demonstrated by your lack of communication to us.

'We expect to meet the father of our Grandchild at the nearest opportunity.

'With warm Regards, your loving Mother and Father.'

Vesija rolled the letter and dropped it on the counter. "How did they know to sent this letter here? How on––"

"They are hunters, and one doesn't hunt men by their spoor alone."

"Right. Your reaction seems rather drastic to a letter this innocuous on the surface. There must be more to it, yes?"

"They have officially acknowledged me as their daughter."

"That's... good, is it not?"

I turned to gawk at the man. My flesh was frozen by something akin to dread, until the warmth of embarrassment and affection thawed me. "Yes... It is. I just didn't expect to hear from my parents, ever again." My voice broke, but I managed to suppress the sob. After a deep breath, I said: "We need to go visit them."

Vesija smiled and took my hand. "Of course, once you and the baby are fit to travel."

"No, we need to leave for the Commonwealth as soon as possible, tomorrow if we can manage."

"Absolutely not! You aren't in any condition––."

I grabbed his hand. "Vesija... I understand your concern, but it's not an arduous journey. We can manage a week in a carriage. Besides, I'll have my personal physician with me."

The man's expression struggled between a concerned frown and the gentlest of smiles, leading to a rather endearing impression. "Alright. Alright... If its important to you, then we'll do it."

"Oh, Vesija..." I sighed. He truly had little idea of what sort of family he had got himself involved with. "Old-fashioned Jaan consider it a slight to the family's honour, if they are not allowed to approve the suitor of their daughter. And we are as old-fashioned as families go. Neither of my parents hesitate to repay transgressions to excessive degree."

"You mean..."

"They shall kill you, yes." And not in a quick painless manner, but after a prolonged and torturous chase, to send a warning other would-be-transgressors of marital prudence. "Unless they approve of you, of course."

Vesija stared at me flabbergasted, before an unsure smile returned to his face. "You are not kidding, are you, Neru?"

I squeezed the hand, which in spite of its strength, was impotent against the primordial self-importance of my lineage. "You need not worry. I'm sure they shall learn to love having you as a son-in-law, once they get to know you."

"If you say so." He chuckled with little confidence. "They are your parents, after all."

My stomach fluttered, this time not because of the activity of its inhabitant. "That they are."

THE END

Tegeli

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